.. Imagery

Syrian Refugee Kid in Ankara

Turkey is a country of about 75 million. Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in early 2011, over 1.6 million refugees have fled Syria into Turkey and more refugees are on the way fleeing ISIS. Much like the highly politicized immigration debate in the United States, people in Turkey are debating whether the refugees should be given the right to work and expressing their concerns and opinions over crime, security and the economy. For the displaced Syrians, it is war and murder on one side of the border, utter poverty and misery on the other side.

Turks are roughly split evenly about granting immigration status to Syrian refugees. On one side, most refugees are unqualified workers and there are concerns of radical elements among them. On the other side, it would be a crime to send them back to Syria or force them to permanently live in refugee camps. The U.S., who cheered on the Syrian Civil War early on, has so far only accepted 36 Syrian refugees. Turkey also vehemently supported the Syrian uprising. And now, it is time to deal with the "unintended consequences". Interventionism is a bad idea.